Time led me here. To this small town and right into this small tavern, it led me. For me, time has no meaning as long as I live and breathe while moving forward to explore the world around me, but for now its meaning led me here. Smoke permeates the air like a thick cloud of fog, making it hard to really see who’s here from across the way, but that hardly matters. I sit in a corner, just watching, waiting… waiting? Yes, I was waiting, but for what, even I couldn’t tell. My fingers tapped the wooden table lightly, yet impatiently as I kept my eyes open towards the entire room. I was observing the movements of every patron and even of the tavern master. Things were noisy, but I heard nothing. I kept all noise out of my ear shot unless it was to hear my waitress tell me my drink would be there soon.

I was fairly sure that I wouldn’t even drink it, but that didn’t matter. I was going to have to hold up appearances after all and a strange girl sitting around in a tavern doing nothing would be rather suspicious.  Once my drink was finally on the table, I scrutinized it as the smell of it was quite horrible. My nose wrinkled in disgust and I turned my attention back towards the rest of the room.

“Ack! S-s-some one help me!” Finally, a shout that was meant for my ears only entered into the room, striking through all conversation and happy moment like a knife through butter. Many fell silent, stopping in mid-sentence, mid-dance, mid-drink and even mid-embrace from an opposite corner. I inclined my head towards the stairwell leading towards…well whatever it lead to wasn’t my concern. What was my concern was the woman who suddenly fled herself down the stairs in nothing but a large tunic of a shirt to cover herself. With red flaming hair and a terrified look on her face, she stumbled into the middle of the room. Fear echoed into her voice, yet her body seemed quite like a mannequin. I narrowed my eyes immediately.

“Young lady…” The tavern master, I watched, leaned towards the girl, perplexed by her terror and frowned, “What ever is the matter?”

“Please!” She cried out, grabbing his shirt and pointing back up the stairs. “Stop that man! He’s trying to rape me!” Many gasps filled the air as more footsteps stumbled down the steps.

What I saw was a man, a small stringy man who looked more confused than anything else. He stumbled down with a hand holding his head and seemed as if he couldn’t figure out where he was going. Many things clicked into my head at that time. I was very perspective, known for my observations and just as I had set my eyes upon him, I knew the whole story here. Immediately my body shifted and I was standing and walking towards the middle of the room. The disgusting drink that was left for me stayed there along its table, a small silver coin left behind. It would serve as my tip.

“You disgusting thing, what are you doing making a mockery out of my tavern by hurting this young lady? Get out of my Tavern!” A loud smacking sound entered the entire area and hoots and howls of entertainment emitted from the group of drunkards in the room as the Tavern master knocked the stringy boy  -I was sure he wasn’t even passed seventeen yet- to the ground. With a cry of pain he fell, holding his chin as tears swelled into his eyes. Apparently he wasn’t very strong minded either.

”Yeah, give him a good whooping!” A few of the men were yelling and others were cheering on the spectacle. The girl, whom had caused such a scene was slowly sliding away from the center of attention, holding the shirt against herself and quite skillfully melding into the crowd as if she didn’t even exist.

Oh, I wasn’t going to allow that. With a small smirk and an impending presence exuding from me in waves, my hands struck out, my once hidden dagger firmly against her back. With a yelp she stopped moving and all in one moment caused all spectacles to stop at the same time yet again. Apparently the yells of a woman was a very easy distraction to drunken men. The Tavern master, holding the boy up by his shirt collar, even turned to see what was going on. Noticing me behind her, his jaw grew slack and he glared, quite confused.

“Stop backing up.” I barked out in a low, deadly hiss towards the girl and I applied more pressure to her back. “Step forward and speak the truth. This man did nothing of the sort isn’t that right?”

“Wh-what ever are you ta-talking about?” The girl stuttered out, finally showing fear that should have been on her when she spoke of rape. Frowning, I grabbed the back of her head and pushed her forward. She stumbled and fell to the ground at the feet of the Master and twitched a bit.

“Good sir,” I said calmly, looking towards the Tavern Master, “I understand how it is simple to believe the words of a girl when she is in nothing but a night shirt and quite beautiful, but if you do look towards that boy you’ll see he’s far too cowardly to pull off something like that with such a large group right below him that she could run to.”

”How could you…know that?” The master asked me, staring at me with distrust. I didn’t blame him for that, I was a stranger… and that’s how it would stay. He was about to ask something else as some shouts came from our audience, but I ignored them and interrupted him quickly.

”Think about it, the way she acted when saying rape wasn’t the way a girl fearful of being raped would act. She was calm and collected, only making her voice sound fearful. It was clearly an act. If you look her over, I’m sure you might find that boy’s wallet hidden on her somewhere.”

The girl sputtered as all eyes turned to her.  I kept my dagger out and glared. How odd that time would lead me here just to help this boy and how odd that it would lead me here to teach this treacherous girl a lesson. Sometimes I wondered why I followed its will so much.  The young boy was hanging from his position, staring at me with wide eyes of wonder. I had to suppress a sigh as said eyes sparkled and he gulped, almost entranced by me. Glancing back to the girl, I waited for her to confess or for someone to search her; Or in fact for another to call me a liar.

”Girl, if you’re lying…” Ah-hah, there it was.

“You’ll know after you search her wont you?” I countered before he could finish. Shrugging and admitting defeat to my logic, the Tavern Master dropped the boy who immediately shuffled over to hide behind my legs. I had to hold back another sigh as I watched the burly man make his way towards the girl.

“Show us what you’re hiding, lass…” The man muttered, still not sure if my words were true or not. My blade, gleaming still in the firelight seemed to hum in a threatening manner and my presence increased in strength. If there was one thing I was skilled at, it was at being intimidating.

“I..I confess!!” The girl suddenly shrieked, standing up and shivering at the look I was giving her. “I .. I… I seduced him and took his wallet after knocking him out I was just calling rape to cause a diversion!!” Swiftly she removed said wallet from the confines of her chest and tossed it to the ground. “Don’t search me and please don’t let that woman near me! She’s a monster, I can FEEL it!”

Huh, she was a bit more perspective then I gave her credit for. However, once her guilty conscience took control and spilled out the truth, the immediate uproar in the room was so loud that I really had no time to pay attention to her. The Tavern Master, quite angry at the “wench” for lying immediately rounded on her, grabbing her by the ears and dragging her to the back.; Most likely to be beaten. I felt no sympathy for her. She shouldn’t have tried such a ruse in the first place. Glancing towards the boy, I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and looked to the others.

”Come.” I said, calmly dragging him out through the crowd, glaring at each patron as they left a space for me to go. Once the fresh air hit me and the sounds of the musty old Tavern left my senses, I flung the boy foreword into the midst of the dirt road and leered at him. “Maybe this will teach you to not trust every woman who sends a flirtatious glance at you, child.” I reprimanded, sheathing my dagger back into my cloak and keeping an imperious stare aimed at him.

He shook, ignoring the child comment like a weak minded fool truly would as he was clearly afraid of confrontation and stared up at me with a wild look of happiness on his face. Licking his lips he hesitantly asked, “How can I repay you for helping me? Anything at all, I”ll even give you the wallet that she tried to steal from-“

”That wont be necessary.” I interrupted again. “Your money has no interest to me.”

“Oh…” He looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling a hopeful smile, almost as if his own mother thrusted too many romantic thoughts into his brain. “Then.. are you interested in… me?”

Bluntly I replied yet again, turned my back around in one fluid motion as I began to walk away. “Not even in the slightest, kid.” Hearing a slightly defeated sigh from the boy, I continued to move. There was no need to say more and no need to stay nearby. Where time had led me, I fulfilled its purpose and I truly had no other reason to stay. I could stand sleeping in the woods another night, this town felt far too constricting now.

As I walked through the crowds and towards the outskirts of the town, I wondered where else time would lead me and who else I would meet along the way…